Training
by redwolfoz
Summary: Training!verse. 100 word drabble & ficlet series. Spike teaches Dawn to defend herself and not everything goes according to plan.
1. Loss of Innocence

**Author's note:** This is a series of drabbles — exactly 100 words — and ficlets written in response to several LiveJournal community challenges.  
**Television Show Based Drabbles Challenge:** Defining Moments

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**Loss of Innocence**

by Red Wolf

Dawn had been trying to convince Spike that she needed this information and, as Buffy had declared her to be a paragon of innocence, her argument was that it was better she learned from him than at the hands of a stranger.

Spike buried his face in his arms on the table. They'd been over this again and again. The discussion had gotten heated until he'd eventually caved under her constant pestering.

Sighing, he looked into Dawn's eyes, seeing her rapt attention. "Okay, Bit, you win. Huurthot demons can only be killed by stabbing them in the eyes or ears..."


	2. Theory and Practice

**Jossverse Drabbles Challenge:** Training

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**Theory and Practice**

by Red Wolf

Dawn had been such an enthusiastic student, soon exhausting Spike's knowledge, that he'd been forced to rope Giles into their pact. Delighted at finally having an eager and adept pupil, Giles took over theory, leaving Spike to concentrate on practical.

They started with unarmed combat. Spike arguing that it would give Dawn a good grounding before they worked their way through to weapons.

Throwing Spike in a surprise move, Dawn spun as her feet were yanked from beneath her and she sprawled atop the vampire.

"I wouldn't recommend trying that in the field, Bit."

"I'll save it just for you."


	3. Back to Basics

**15 Minute Ficlet Challenge by Leni:** Chainsaw

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**Back to Basics**

by Red Wolf

It had followed them from the video store. Turungar demons weren't known for their fascination with the latest in teen comedies. This one had just happened to be out hunting when it spotted Spike and Dawn.

Turungar demons are nasty, vicious creatures, but not up there in the intelligence stakes. They were creatures of habit that acted on instinct. It was a slow and agonising process to watch their small primitive brains attempting to wrestle with a decision. Which would go a long way to explaining why it never noticed that the man accompanying the tasty, young human female was a vampire.

A dash through the backyards of the Summers' neighbours had ensued in the hope of losing the beast. Their escape would have been quicker, but Dawn had insisted on avoiding the homes with dogs on the grounds that she didn't want to explain to Mr Jones why Fluffy had been eaten and the more immediate reason of trying to keep a low profile.

The plan only slowed the demon down, but it did give them enough time to retrieve monster dispatching weapons. Which was why Spike and Dawn were now standing around a very dead demon who was bleeding all over the back lawn.

"Look on the bright side, it's one less mess to clean up and the lawn will love it." Spike nudged the body with the toe of his boot causing more blood to briefly pool then before it soaked into the ground.

"We still have to get rid of the body, it's too big to dump in the trunk intact." Dawn briefly wondered why there wasn't a monster corpse disposal company in Sunnydale. With a Hellmouth and a Slayer in residence it would do a roaring trade.

They rummaged through the garden shed for tools. Dawn found a hedge trimmer, she contemplated the tool before discarding it as only being good for leaves, what she needed was the chainsaw.

"Go ahead," Spike gestured to the corpse. "But don't blame me when it skips on the flesh before biting. Chainsaws aren't the neatest of weapons and they cause a pretty big spread of gore. And I seem to remember someone mentioning noise concerns."

Explaining the body would be bad enough. Explaining why she'd covered herself and the side of the house with demon innards was even less desirable. Dawn sighed and replaced the chainsaw on its shelf, giving it a final loving pat.

Spike snagged a couple of hand tools from the shed and handed the axe to Dawn. "Try this. All the fun of dismemberment with less of the spray pattern."

Spike sat on the back steps, carefully sharpening the edge of the spade as he watched Dawn go to work on the body. It didn't take long for her to tire, swinging an axe repeatedly was hard work, but she'd made decent inroads into disarticulating the body and it gave her a chance to let off steam. When her arms started to protest, she handed the axe over the Spike, who cleaned it and returned it to the shed, before he took over.

Placing the blade of the spade against the demon's neck, Spike put his foot to the spade and its blade went through the vertebrae with a clean thunk. He tossed the head in the heavy-duty garbage bag Dawn was holding. "The biggest weapon isn't always the best for the job, Bit. Sometimes you need to get back to basics."


	4. Foowear Carnage

**Jossverse Drabbles Challenge:** Unintentional Confession

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**Footwear Carnage**

by Red Wolf

A pair of once white sneakers were held gingerly at arms length. Buffy dropped them into the sink before they could drip any more gore on the floor and followed the sound of the television, finding her sister snuggled against Spike on the lounge.

"What happened in the yard?"

Spike looked down in embarrassment, explaining about accidentally dropping a bag of blood. Buffy snorted and went to see if her shoes were salvageable.

"Good thing she doesn't know about the dismembered demon in the boot of her car, Bit." The back door slammed as Buffy ran to the garage. "Bugger."


	5. Burying the Evidence

**Jossverse Drabbles Challenge:** Open Challenge

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**Burying the Evidence**

by Red Wolf

It was hot work, digging holes to bury demon components. The desert sand may have been friable, but as easy as it was to dig, it just as easily slipped back into the excavations. At least it was cool in the desert air and Buffy had elected to leave them alone to complete their task.

"Stupid Buffy sneakers."

"You didn't get sconed by a spade, Bit." Spike rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head.

Dawn held up the car keys with an evil gleam in her eye. "Fancy giving me a driving lesson on the way home."


	6. Driving Lessons

**Television Show Based Drabbles Challenge:** Consequences

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**Driving Lessons**

by Red Wolf

The car accelerated rapidly, taking the corner in an impossibly sharp turn that plastered the passenger against the side window. The screech of tyres was followed by the metallic crunch of garbage cans being scattered down the side of the vehicle like skittles.

"Stop!" Spike screamed, bracing himself against the dash, as Dawn threw out the anchors. The car slewed to a stop in a decorative spray of gravel that relocated half of some unfortunate suburbanite's drive into his garden bed.

"That was fun."

"No. It wasn't. And now you get to explain to Xander why his gearbox is shot."


	7. Consequences

**15 Minute Ficlets Challenge:** Consequences

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**Consequences**

by Red Wolf

The car made grinding noises as Spike gingerly drove it home. Dawn's driving lesson had not been kind to Xander's car and it was a safe bet that the gearbox was history.

Spike glanced at the girl in the passenger seat. Dawn was trying her best to look chastened by the mayhem she had caused, but every so often he caught a glimpse of smug self-satisfaction flitting across her face.

"You do know that you will be explaining the car to his nibs?" Spike explained with a stern glare, Dawn composed her face into an appropriate expression of understanding, with just the right hint of pleading thrown in for good measure. "And don't think bloody cow eyes will work this time, my girl."

Dawn pouted, purely by force of habit. "Yeah, worth a try though. Do you think he'll buy that it just broke?" Her hopes were dashed by Spike's look of incredulity. "Me neither."

Spike pulled the car into the drive and they walked around the house, hoping to avoid any questions until morning. The plan would have worked if Buffy and Xander weren't sitting in the kitchen waiting for their return.

"So, I take it that all evidence of demon has been removed from the trunk." Xander directed his veiled accusation at Spike.

"Yes." Spike nudged Dawn and she stumbled forward slightly, her eyes not leaving the floor.

"We buried the demon. On the way back, Spike gave me a driving lesson and IthinkIkilledyourcar." Dawn squeaked the last part out, before running out the room and thundering up the stairs. The slam of her bedroom door, ending the shocked silence in the kitchen.

"You gave my sister a driving lesson?"

"You gave Dawn a driving lesson in my car?"

Wishing he could have followed Dawn into hiding, Spike took a deep breath. "She was doing really well until she wiped out the bins and totalled a driveway." He realised that his explanation wasn't helping his cause and opted for silence. An ear-splitting scream sounded from upstairs, Buffy and Xander rushed to see what had frightened Dawn and Spike used the diversion to make his getaway.

Looking up at Dawn's window as he left, Spike returned her wave and mouthed his thanks before disappearing into the night.


End file.
